Clement unveils surprising truth about Rangers that he learned immediately after the Steaua thrashing.

Rangers dominated the Romanians, advancing to six points in the Europa League from their three matches to date. An elated Philippe Clement praised Rangers’ commanding performance against Steaua Bucharest, calling it the ideal antidote to their struggles in the Premiership that have plagued the team. The Ibrox manager and his squad have faced mounting pressure after Sunday’s slip at Kilmarnock left them six points behind title rivals Celtic and Aberdeen. However, the Light Blues managed to put their domestic issues aside, delivering a powerful display against the Romanians to strengthen their Europa League campaign.

Tom Lawrence kicked things off for the Gers, followed by a smooth double from Vaclav Cerny, and Moroccan youngster Hamza Igamane capped off a confidence-boosting victory. When asked if his team felt they had something to prove, Clement—who witnessed Rangers achieve their largest group-stage win since their 5-0 UEFA Cup thrashing of Amica Wronki in 2004—said, “Of course, we were all fed up with losing. The players, the staff, everyone was disappointed.”

“We wanted to stand united,” Clement shared. “Someone mentioned it’s been over 20 years since Rangers won a European group stage match by four goals. While there are still many areas we can improve, I’m pleased that people can see the potential in this squad. As I’ve been saying over the past few weeks, we need time to bring everything together and keep progressing.”

Igamane scored his first goal for the club after coming on for Cyriel Dessers, who made an unexpected exit down the tunnel as Rangers celebrated their third goal. Clarifying the incident, Clement—who also had to substitute Leon Balogun and Tom Lawrence—explained, “Cyriel got poked in the eye, so he couldn’t see properly.”

“He was pretty emotional because he wanted to stay on the field, but he couldn’t see anything, so he ran off. It was a strange moment for me, but he apologized afterward. Leon Balogun cramped up, so I don’t think that’s a major issue. I’m more concerned about Tom Lawrence—someone fell on him, twisting his knee, so we’ll have to see how serious it is.”

Igamane seized his opportunity by blasting in his first goal since his £2 million transfer from AS FAR Rabat. However, Clement is careful not to place too much pressure on the 21-year-old. “I don’t want to start with this hype or build him up too high—only to knock him down if he misses a chance next week,” he said.

“No, he’s a young player with potential who still has a lot to learn,” Clement explained. “When he arrived, he didn’t understand a word of English. He’s taking lessons with Jefte and Oscar Cortes. These young players are still adjusting to life in this country. But they’re talented boys who will be crucial to the club’s future.” Rangers are now firmly in the race for the knockout stages, needing just four more points from their final five league games to likely secure qualification.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – OCTOBER 24: Philippe Clement the head coach / manager of Rangers applauds the fans at full time during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 match between Rangers FC and Fotbal Club FCSB at Ibrox Stadium on October 24, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

However, the game’s outcome could have turned early on when Jack Butland, stripped of possession by David Miculescu just two minutes in, narrowly escaped disaster as referee Marco di Bello blew for a foul *before* the Bucharest striker could tap the ball into the empty net. Clement firmly maintained it was a “clear four,” yet the official admitted to Bucharest manager Elias Charamboulou that he’d erred by blowing the whistle prematurely.

Charamboulou reflected, “The match might have gone very differently if the referee had made the correct call. I spoke with him at half-time; he apologized and admitted he should have waited before blowing the whistle so VAR could assist with the decision. I respect him for that, but it’s too late now.”